During construction, and prior to the floors being permanently closed (for example by a curtain wall) temporary fencing is required adjacent the periphery of floor slabs for safety purposes.
Current barrier assemblies have a number of disadvantages including difficulty in providing openings for the purposes of gates, difficulty in respect of accommodating different lengths to which the barrier assemblies are to be applied, difficulty in respect of installation adjacent slab edges, difficulty in accommodating columns and other protrusions, inhibiting work that is to be performed beyond the barrier assembly, such as the installations of brackets and curtain walls, with the workmen remaining on the safe side of the barrier assembly and providing suitable connection points for anchors used for safety lines and harnesses.